Top 10 of the Last Decade

So I know it has been a few months since the last decade ended, and if you follow my facebook posts I know I posted a list on there. However there are a slight few changes I would like to make to the list so here we go, my top 10 of 2000-2009.



10. The Royal Tenenbaums by Wes Anderson

Within the past 10 years or so a few filmmakers have emerged with a strange filmmaking savvy. Without any real title to lay on them they have been unofficially called by some the American New Wave. These filmmakers include Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Sofia Coppola, Charlie Kaufman, and Wes Anderson as well as a couple others. Each of these filmmakers has found their way onto this list at some point as you will see, but to start it off is Wes Anderson and his beautiful tale of one eccentric family in The Royal Tenenbaums. Anderson has a very literary way of telling stories, in almost all of his films he enlists the aid of narration of some sort whether it is a voiceover or text on the screen. In Tenenbaums he uses both. It is often a great pitfall to use narration out of laziness, but Anderson utilizes it with such purpose as to develop his characters in a way that what we on screen can only be a fragment of who they are. He gives his characters such depth. It is difficult in many ways to explicitly explain the draw of a film like The Royal Tenenbaums, but hopefully the clip above will give you just the right amount of understanding into the cinematic wizardry of Wes Anderson. With its tightly written script, its perfect cast, a story that is left to breathe without wandering, and an ending that avoids any sense of emotional manipulation The Royal Tenenbaums is one of the best films of our last decade.



9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by Michel Gondry
When it comes to love stories Michel Gondry with co-writer Charlie Kaufman has crafted a fresh vision of love and heart break. The story mechanics are genius in a way Gondry would never follow up with, and Winslet gives her best performance opposite Jim Carey as Clementine the mistress of heart break. A true original, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has yet to be topped in its form. Because of it's incredible vision and rapturous tale Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of the best films of our last decade.



8. Moulin Rouge! by Baz Luhrmann

Few will argue that when it comes to filmmaking not many directors have the bold, eccentric temperment of Baz Luhrman. Prior to his 2001 hit Luhrman did a small ballroom film that few saw and the extravagant retelling of William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet, but it was with Moulin Rouge! that he made his mark. Moulin Rouge! earns its place on this list in the same way Eternal Sunshine did by being about love in a way I hadn't seen before it. Where ESSOTM was a sad and strange film about heartbreak, Luhrmans film is a bright, bombastic, and passionate story about the saving grace of love. It is so unashamed its brash idealism, so uninhibited by reality that your soul truly soars just watching it. Because of its dedication to truth, beauty, freedom, and, above all things, love Moulin Rouge! is one of the best films of our last decade.



7. Almost Famous by Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe's 2000 film about a young rock journalist is the best coming of age story in these past 10 years. It tracks a short time in the life of William Miller as he travels with the up-and-coming band Stillwater, falls in love with a girl, feels the cold reality of fame trickle down to him, loses his virginity, and grows up. The story is made with such a personal attachment by Crowe, who toured as a journalist as well, that every moment feels real and even the funny parts are embedded with a sense of depth and care. Because of it's honesty and heart Almost Famous is one of the best films of our last decade.



6. Kill Bill by Quentin Tarantino
Counting both volumes as a singular whole Kill Bill by auteur Quentin Tarantino is a daring experiment in mainstream filmmaking. Tarantino's films are director's films, sure they are usually carried by strong performances from cult-status actors, but they are always his films. It was with Pulp Fiction that Tarantino made a name for himself, but with Kill Bill he truly let loose with an orgy of his greatest loves: westerns, kung-fu, dialogue, and Uma Thurman. Kill Bill reinvented Tarantino's sense of daring, since these two films no one can easily peg down the man behind the films. These two were closely followed in quality by Inglorious Basterds, but because they set the bar for that film I consider these more worthy of their place on this list. Because this film reawakened the world to Tarantino in a new way it is one of the best films of our last decade.



5. Where the Wild Things Are by Spike Jonze
The only film from this year on the list, Where the Wild Things Are is the most significant film to close out this decade. A masterful adaptation of Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book, director Spike Jonze has created a stunning, wondrous work that understands childhood and children. It is a film filled equally with that nostalgic feeling of looking back on childhood, and that pain associated with growing up. It never talks down to children or treats them in any other way than exactly how they should be treated. For once in a movie Max feels like a little boy; he is crazy, rambunctious and out of control of his emotions, his logic makes sense for a child and he is always fantastic to watch. Something is to be said of the production design of the film, Jonze enlisted a crew of skilled designers to craft both the Wild Things and their nests on the island. A truly staggering work of art to close out these 10 years in filmmaking. Because it is truly visionary and captured my heart so profoundly Where the Wild Things Are is one of the best films of our last decade.



4. Children of Men by Alfonso Cuaron
Dystopian societies are a staple in storytelling. We have seen the gray worlds of fallen cultures a thousand times over, but it is with Alfonso Cauron's adaptation of P.D. James' novel that this story cliche feels rich and new again. Utilizing the brilliance of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki the world of Children of Men feels lived in and real through the perspective of the camera. Where the film treads familiar territory in some story or setting element its always feels new and real and exciting. Whats more is the film is an important one, one that looks closely at who we are as people and where we are headed. It doesn't make heroes out of nobodies it just lets the nobodies do something worthwhile. Children of Men may feel cold and strange, but it is one of the most striking and memorable films I have had the pleasure of watching. Because of its daring and original vision of the future of humanity Children of Men is one of the best films of our last decade.



3. Lost in Translation by Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola has the distinct place on this list as the only female director. Her three films have so deeply captured the sense of imprisonment that every young adult feels, but Lost in Translation has something about it that makes it so distinctly special. There is a sense of whimsy and drifting surreality that encapsulates so much of the film, so many quiet little moments that connect to make one sophisticated tapestry of mystery of friendship and a sense of love. Coppola has a great eye for comedy too that helps elate her films when they become to somber such as the call girl "lip my stockings" scene. It was hard to choose one film of her thematic trilogy, but then you remember that moment at the end when bill murray whispers in scarlet johannson 's ear and all of a sudden in that one moment of romantic mystery this film because elevated above so many others of the decade. Because of unique frame of mind, its understanding of youth, and its impeccable beauty Lost in Translation is one of the best films of our last decade.



2.There Will Be Blood by P.T. Anderson

I have long been a fan of the work of director Paul Thomas Anderson, and his staggering work in There Will Be Blood is no exception. The work here is truly one of a kind from the production design of the make-shift town and the oil wells to the beautiful cinematography to the score by Jonny Greenwood. Yet it comes down to one very pivotal thing and that thing is the performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview. Here, within this film, is a performance of such powerful, and often frightening, intensity such as to never have been rivaled before or since. There Will Be Blood is an awe-inspiring, tense, disturbing, and shattering portrait of one man's search for wealth and power and the monstrosity born within him. As one of boldest, most audacious and breathtaking works of cinema There Will Be Blood is one of the best films of our last decade.



1. The Lord of the Rings by Peter Jackson

Tricked you didn't I? It is three films that hold the number 1 spot. Peter Jackson's adaptation of the revered trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien is a grand epic that details the age old battle of good vs. evil. The good side is really good and the bad side, well, they're awfully bad. By the end of the trilogy you care for each and every member of the fellowship and feel for each citizen of the kingdoms of middle-earth, well except the citizens of Mordor. Trying to some up the greatest of 9+ hours of cinematic gold in a small paragraph seems futile. I simply want to say watch these films, forget the books if you've read them, and enjoy the treat on the screen in front of you. These movies will be shown to children and adults generation after generation to come. Thank you Peter Jackson for deliver the best movies of the past 10 years. Because of its ability to remind us of the magic of movies and why we watch them the Lord of the Rings trilogy is, combined, the greatest film of our last decade.

Top 10 of 2009

Starting at number 10 here are the best films of the year:

10. An Education by Lone Scherfig: a swift, beautiful period romantic drama that is carried with deft talent by the wonderful Carey Mulligan.

9. Avatar by James Cameron: a landmark achievement in filmmaking in terms of breathless visual wonder.

8.(500) Days of Summer by Marc Webb: a clever story of love and loss with witty dialogue and delightful performances from the leads Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

7. Away We Go by Sam Mendes: a sweet and intelligent look at love and the lengths to which it can grow between two people. Maya Rudolph and John Krasinksi carry the weight with ease.

6. District 9 by Neill Blomkamp: an original film with a striking visual style and a story that cuts to the heart about a man and his journey to redemption amidst alien apartheid.

5. Up by Pete Docter: Once again Pixar comes through with a tale of age and innocence that hits hard and still lifts you into the clouds with typical pixar glee. The first 15 minutes are some of the best on film this year.

4. A Serious Man by The Coen Brothers: a very personal tale from the brothers turns out to be their best work yet as it retells the story of Job using a pitch perfect Michael Stuhlbarg as the man in the midst of suffering.

3. A Single Man by Tom Ford: a heart wrenching story of lost love that delights in strong performances and visual splendor, a great year end film to see.

2. Inglorious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino: A truly unique film that delights in all the whimsy of storytelling while recreating the World War II drama into something pulpy and vastly entertaining.

1. Where the Wild Things Are by Spike Jonze: A soft, delicate, and yet raucous, wild film about the pains of growing up, told in a way only Spike Jonze could visualize. The best film of the year and one of the best of the decade.

A Serious Man by The Coen Brothers

Some people throw around the word genius a little too freely when it comes to the brothers Coen. They have had their hits and their misses for every No Country for Old Men or Fargo is a Ladykillers or Burn After Reading. The Coen Brothers, regardless of any flops, have indelibly left their mark on filmmaking and it is in 2009 that they offer up their most personal, and brilliant work to date. A Serious Man follows Larry Gopnik, a very serious jewish man, as his life crumbles before him. His wife is leaving him for his best friend who also attempts to console him, his son smokes pot, and his daughter is saving money up for a nose job. At work he is being bribed by a student to bring his grade up and blackmailed by him at the same time, meanwhile he is up for tenure. The whole film plays like a modern rendition of the book of Job in the bible. What is wonderful is that this film is filled with all the dark humor of Fargo and all the serious ambiguities of No Country for Old Men, while offering us what is probably the closest glimpse at the childhood of the Coens as we are ever going to get. This film is hard to write about as it is so wonderful on the strengths of its writing that all of the other elements, all top notch, seem to fall in line with the greatness of the words. Then there is the ending, oy vey what an ending. This film has perhaps one of my favorite endings of the year if not the best one. This film struck me in a way that for the next week coming I just couldn't shake it. If you live in chicago the Landmark is still playing it, grab a friend and go see the best work the brothers have made yet.

Up in the Air by Jason Reitman

Jason Reitman is one of the most intelligent people working in mainstream Hollywood today. He is a man who knows how to get a movie made, give it some style, some brains, some meaning, some quirk, and still get everyone to see it. This year he returns to the screen after his oscar nominated Juno with Up in the Air. Up in the Air is about Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a man who is paid to travel the country to fire people on behalf of their bosses. He loves his job, he loves the idea of reaching a magic number of frequent flyer miles, he loves living up in the air with nothing to tie him down. This is all threatened when the intelligent Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) walks into his life with a plan to keep everyone at home and fire people online. Ryan takes Natalie under his wing to show her why he does what he does. Along the way he meets Alex (Vera Farmiga) who lives a life identical to his, and he sees in her a kindred spirit. The film is intercut with real peoples reactions to getting fired. This all plays well, in fact from the cold clinical technical aspect Up in the Air is a flawless film. It has the best performance of Clooney's career, though it seems as though he is just playing himself. Its screenplay is witty without the quirkiness of Juno, and smooth like butter. The movie has the sheen of a new car, it is sleek, stylish, and everything you could expect, except one thing. For all its perfection Up in the Air seems to miss out entirely on heart. Sure there are scenes meant to redeem the cold life of Ryan, but they are too small, too late, and little proof of any change, and by the end you aren't really sure what to feel besides a little bit of a chill. This movie came out right at the right time as our economy aches and people lose their jobs everyday, and it never preaches which is a wise thing, but I have to wonder what is the staying power of such a movie? Who will care about this movie ten years from now when things don't suck as much (we hope)? Is Ryan's arch as a character enough for the film to stand alone outside of social circumstance? I cannot say, only time will tell, but for me this movie hardly stands up for this years let alone years to come.

(Current Song: Lenin by The Arcade Fire)

A Single Man by Tom Ford

Debut films are always exciting prospects, but typically they come from within the industry or from an indie filmmaker trying to make his way, but not here. Here we have fashion tycoon Tom Ford debuting as auteur. And what a debut it is. A Single Man traces one day in the life of a gay man whose lover of 16 years died in a car crash months prior, and this man's intent to kill himself at day's end. The plot is a pretty simple one, what is not simple is, basically, everything else. Colin Firth plays George Falconer, the single man, with such an intensity that he blows all other performances this year out of the water. George is a man of porcelain, he spends each morning putting on his facade, putting on the person he shows to the world. Inside George is aching and lonely, he searches for life and purpose. The only thing he has is his best friend Charlotte. Charlie, as he calls her, is an alcoholic ex-wife of some man, she lives from drink to drink in the same sadness as George, and desires him more than anything else. Julianne Moore slips into the role of Charlie in a way reminiscent of her gold digging wife in Magnolia, in the same way as then she reaches down into her soul to find the despair that rests inside of Charlie's eyes. George, who is a professor of literature, also has a young man in his class who sees him as a kindred spirit and wants George as more than just a teacher. This young man is play by Nicholas Hoult with such a grace and charm that saves this character from slipping into what could easily be a creepy role. So in many ways A Single Man is an actors film, it is certainly Firth's career best, but it is also Ford's film. Each frame is filled with such lush detail, such exquisite design, each character so fashionable and beautiful it hardly seems to be reality. While some critics have faulted the design of the film, I view it as a great credit to the film, after all art is meant to be a heightened reality, if it all looked and felt exactly as we see it then seeing movies would be more chore than joy. A Single Man is filled with so much pure visual beauty I don't understand how you could fault it for that. But forget the detailed design, the virtuoso cinematography, the moving score, and it all comes back to story and character. This film is a sad one, perhaps this year's best tragedy, but it is such a moving tragedy. It is a film full of ache and yet relief, so full of pain, and yet pleasure, the whole film is about finding those moments of joy inside a lifetime of sadness, a lesson we all could learn.

(Currently Song: Mescaline by Abel Korzeniowski)

Where the Wild Things Are by Spike Jonze

So here we are at the end of 2009 and I have been a terrible writer, but thankfully the masses don't care about this silly thing. Anywho. This year marked a slew of wonderfully quirky and audacious films, not the least of which was Spike Jonze's masterful Where the Wild Things Are. In adapting Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book Jonze had a lot of responsibility. Not only did he have to create a good film, as all directors are charged to, but make it one that expanded the minute book into a big screen adaptation that was true to the heart of the magic of the book. In my eyes he has done it. Where the Wild Things Are is in itself a very wild thing. With little traditional narrative Jonze has instead chosen to allow the film to just be which is part of the wonder of it. It walks with Max, the wildest of all wild things, as he learns about the pains of leaving childhood. It is big and loud when he is and small and tender when he is. It swings on every whim of his emotions, which are plentiful. There is never a rush to a big climax and you never feel like you are being set up for something bigger to come, instead you are allowed to gaze with wonder as you remember those feelings. What separates this film from other "childrens" films is it doesnt dwell on only happiness in childhood, it also reminds you that you cried as a kid and you hurt and you understood a whole lot more than childrens movies typically think children do. The film is accompanied by Karen O's perfect soundtrack that is one of the more genius soundtracks/scores I've heard, maybe up there with Johnny Greenwood's for There Will Be Blood. This film is a spirited hymn to those days long past and to the wonder of imagination.

(Current Song: All is Love by Karen O and the Kids)

Re-starting the blog.

Welcome back to the movie blog. I am sorry for ever leaving it. Whether or not anyone reads this doesn't matter as I just need an outlet for my thoughts. So welcome for any readers out there and enjoy.